In the villages of Hinton St George and Chiselborough in Somerset England, the last
Thursday in October is Punky Night. The villagers carve Jack-o-Lanterns
out of a large variety of beet and parade through the town with them or bring them to
a competition in the town hall. The Punky Night festivities are thought to go back at
least 250 years, to a time before Americans began carving Jack-o-Lanterns from pumpkins.
Thus, many collectors of folklore see Punky Night as preserving the British origins of
a popular American tradition.
On this website you will find:
The legend behind the Punky Night Festival
An eye-witness report from Punky Night 1998
Real Punkies captured on film!
The Punky Night Song an enduring classic
